Editorial: Fewer school officials are viewing bullying as a rite of passage.

If there is something positive to say about bullying, it is that fewer school officials are viewing it has a rite of passage for children and teenagers.

Bullying and consistent harassment can have serious psychological consequences that carry-over in a bullied child’s adult life, along with having an immediate impact on a student’s ability to learn.

A state report released last week revealed there were 7,460 confirmed cases statewide of harassment or intimidation during the 2012-2013 school year.

The legacy Memphis City Schools, the state’s largest school system, reported 1,982 confirmed cases and the legacy Shelby County Schools reported 265.

The report was mandated by an anti-bullying law — sponsored by state Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, and state Rep. Charles Curtiss, D-Sparta — that was approved by the General Assembly in 2012.

The law requires school districts to file yearly reports on bullying incidents with the state Department of Education, which complies the information into a report for the legislature.

Bullying can be physical. It can be verbal harassment or intimidation. Students are bullied for variety of reasons, ranging from jealously to gender orientation. Technology has added another platform to the problem in the form of cyberbullying, in which students use social media to bully their peers.

Whatever form it takes, bullying can be devastating to students who are constantly, harassed and, in extreme cases, can lead to the target of the bullying committing suicide. A recent example of that occurred in Florida, where 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick jump to her death from a tower after being cyberbullied.

While school officials are taking bullying more seriously, parents also need to be more vigilant about what their teens are doing with social media on their tablets and smartphones.

It is unrealistic to think school officials can stop all bullying. Also, it is a good bet that a lot of bullied students do not report it out fear the bullying will become worse.

It is good to know, though, that in Tennessee, school districts are investigating reports of bullying and, when the reports are confirmed, taking action to stop it.